Once a perennial staple of the Japanese film industry, the Toho-produced Godzilla franchise saw a whopping 28 films in a span of 50 years, from 1954 to 2004. That, of course, leaves out any of the other kaiju films the studio produced in that same period. After 2004, however, Toho licensed the characters to Legendary Pictures for their Monsterverse, but only produced two of their own live-action films. 2016’s Shin Godzilla was a radical departure and was unlikely to get a true follow-up. But 2023’s Godzilla Minus One looks poised to bring back the franchise in a big, big way.
Toho announced (and we saw via Deadline) that a sequel to the Oscar-winning reboot is on the way. In a brief “Emergency Announcement” video on Twitter, Toho shared they have greenlit a follow-up to Minus One, bringing back writer, director, and VFX supervisor Takashi Yamazaki. Yamazaki and his effects team won well-deserved Academy Awards for their work on the modestly budgeted giant monster movie. Achieving what they did at all is remarkable, but doing so with a fraction of the budget and team as the likes of Marvel and Paramount is the biggest triumph.
Godzilla Minus One was also a massive international hit. At least massive for Japanese film standards these days. It scored a worldwide gross of $116 million, which compared to U.S. blockbusters is pretty light, but is a monumental achievement for films from other countries.
The ending of Godzilla Minus One teased that the king of the monsters might come back. However, it’s unclear at this early stage if the next movie will take place a couple of years after the first, or decades. Minus One focused on the aftermath of World War II, when the Japanese national identity was in tatters. Its people had to band together to stave off Godzilla, not look to government aid. Would another movie in the late ’40s or early ’50s make sense? Or will Yamazaki shift to new characters and setting? Only time will tell, but we’re jazzed to find out.
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Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.